Ukraine secures US LNG imports from Greece to cover winter needs

By Angeliki Koutantou and Dan Peleschuk

ATHENS/KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine has secured imports of U.S liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Greece to cover its winter needs from December through to March next year, Greek and Ukrainian officials said on Sunday during a visit to Athens by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Ukraine will import gas via a pipeline that runs across the Balkan peninsula to secure critical supplies after Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and gas production facilities.

Greek gas company DEPA and Ukraine's state firm Naftogaz said in a joint statement that the deal was effective starting December. Zelenskiy, speaking alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said deliveries would begin in January.

"We rebuild each time the Russians destroy, but this truly requires time, much effort, equipment and, regarding gas...imports to compensate for the destruction by the Russians of our own production," Zelenskiy told reporters.

Ahead of his Greek visit, Zelenskiy said Kyiv had allocated funds for gas imports from European partners and banks under European Commission guarantees, as well as from Ukrainian banks, to help cover nearly the 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) needed.

Ukraine's government was also working with U.S. partners to ensure full financing, he added.

The deal comes after Greece clinched its first long-term deal to supply U.S. LNG to Europe from 2030 after the EU approved a ban on Russian LNG from 2027 over Moscow's war in Ukraine, which is now in its fourth year.

"Greece is becoming an energy security provider for your homeland", Mitsotakis told Zelenskiy, adding that the agreement will also help stop Russian natural gas from entering Europe.

($1 = 0.8606 euros)

(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk in Kyiv and Angeliki Koutantou in Athens; Additional reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne and Renee Maltezou in Athens; Editing by William Mallard and Alexander Smith)

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